JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Echo Chamber by John Boyne

What a thing of wonder a mobile phone is. Six ounces of metal, glass and plastic, fashioned into a sleek, shiny, precious object. At once, a gateway to other worlds – and a treacherous weapon in the hands of the unwary, the unwitting, the inept.

The Cleverley family live a gilded life, little realising how precarious their privilege is, just one tweet away from disaster. George, the patriarch, is a stalwart of television interviewing, a ‘national treasure’ (his words), his wife Beverley, a celebrated novelist (although not as celebrated as she would like), and their children, Nelson, Elizabeth, Achilles, various degrees of catastrophe waiting to happen.

Together they will go on a journey of discovery through the Hogarthian jungle of the modern living where past presumptions count for nothing and carefully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant. Along the way they will learn how volatile, how outraged, how unforgiving the world can be when you step from the proscribed path.

To err is maybe to be human but to really foul things up you only need a phone.

A satirical novel about social media and those trapped in its clutches, John Boyne’s The Echo Chamber follows one self-centred British family who are all well-versed in manipulating others and escaping retribution. The Echo Chamber takes aim at cancel culture from both sides — those ‘cancelled’, and those who cancel.

At the centre of the novel is the revered and respected TV host George Cleverley, who resembles Piers Morgan in his unapologetic, ill-advised commentary on society. His wife, Beverley, is an internationally best-selling author whose works are written by ghost writers but she claims their words are her own. Their three children, Nelson, Achilles and Elizabeth, are flawed in their own right and provide the majority of the entertainment in the novel.

“Although Beverley was sitting in the drawing room of the Cleverleys’ five-floor Belgravia home, trying to maintain a polite interest in the conversation she was holding with a ghost, her mind was far away, soaring 35,000 feet above Europe, on an aeroplane headed for the north-western shore of the Black Sea.”

Written in third person POV and switching between all five members of the family, the humour lands best with Nelson, George’s socially inept son who struggles to talk to women and wears various uniforms to feel comfort and stability. His dialogue with his psychologist is incredibly funny, and his attempts at conversing with women are equally worth a mention.

John’s razor-sharp observation on human and societal interaction takes centre stage with this novel. Prose is stripped back, and the majority of the story is told through dialogue. This shows just how easily John captures a character’s voice, because we have five different characters here and all offer their own unique personality. Whilst I felt that George’s dialogue was overly absurd in some conversations with his family, and he didn’t always feel natural when he spoke, I think John captured the rest of the family members with consistency and reliability.

“The first man he met was a married father of two from Battersea, the indent on the fourth finger of his left hand making it clear that he’d removed his wedding ring on the journey to the pub. Achilles went for a drink with him several times before asking whether he could help him out with a ‘loan’ of $1,000 because, he claimed his landlord was threatening to throw him out on the streets.”

Some people might read this book and find some segments too over the top — they might find the Cleverley family too obnoxious, and edging too far into caricature territory. And I suppose I did feel that in some moments as well. But as a whole, this book offers an entertaining exploration into how social media has shaped our society and how much value we place in our devices.

John’s commentary on social media is devastatingly accurate and rife with clarity. The cover is also a triumph. It’s rare that a novel actually has me laughing aloud, and at times this book even had me snort a little. The Echo Chamber was a joy to read, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

“He counted the items of clothing on his body and it came to a total of five: polyester scrub top and trousers, boxer shorts, socks and a pair of old trainers. Standard hospital wear. And even though he knew that he was probably the least fashionable person in London and the South-East, he appreciated the fact that his outfit made him stand out in the crowd.”

Sharp, observant and utterly enjoyable, The Echo Chamber is recommended for readers of literary fiction and satirical works. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Echo Chamber
John Boyne
August 2021
Penguin Random House Publishers

Billy Summers by Stephen King

Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong?

How about everything.

This spectacular can’t-put-it-down novel is part war story, part love letter to small town America and the people who live there, and it features one of the most compelling and surprising duos in King fiction, who set out to avenge the crimes of an extraordinarily evil man. It’s about love, luck, fate, and a complex hero with one last shot at redemption.

You won’t put this story down, and you won’t forget Billy.

Stephen King’s latest thriller, Billy Summers, follows an ex-marine contract killer whose final kill turns out to be more complex than originally planned.

When Billy is offered an extraordinary amount of money to kill a convicted killer, he bunkers down in an office building for months under a new identity — he’s pretending to be a man writing a novel, so people won’t suspect him of foul play and he’ll have optimal range when it comes time to make the shot.

But there’s something about this one last job that feels uncomfortable. The escape plan seems foolproof, but Billy has an inkling he’s being played. And soon after he kills his target, it’s about more than just survival. This is where the novel really picks up.

“Hoff smiles. Probably it’s charming when he’s on his game but he’s not on it now. He’s in a room with a paid killer. That’s part of it but not all of it. This is a man who feels the walls closing in, and Billy doesn’t think it’s because Hoff suspects he might be played for a patsy. He should know but he doesn’t.”

Billy Summers is a little slow for the first third, but once Billy completes the kill he was hired for, the pacing quickens, the stakes heighten, and the novel gets very good. We meet a new character, Alice — she’s wounded, broken, complex and she offers something fresh to the novel. It’s hard to talk about the rest of the novel without giving spoilers away, but the story does venture into really dark territory, particularly pertaining to Alice.

She does, however, offer some light in the novel. Together, Billy and Alice compliment each other as they work to deal with the fallout of recent events. The novel would’ve felt a bit limiting or lonely if Billy remained solo for his journey, so the introduction of another major character was no doubt a stylistic decision to keep the story moving in an interesting and inviting way, but also to allow the chance for Billy to grow and reflect as a character. Being around Alice resembles some sort of father-daughter bond, and we witness them both grow over the course of the story.

“At some point during that summer — his season of many identities — Billy re-reads the story of Bob Raines’ death and the hearing that followed. Then he goes to the window and looks out at the courthouse, where a sheriff’s car has pulled up to the curb.”

Admittedly, there are a few moments in the book that feel a little out of joint. King suggests some sort of attraction between Billy and Alice, which doesn’t feel natural — in a post-MeToo era, this element of the book does feel a little dated and inappropriate. And the scene where Billy takes Alice in after she’s been attacked, and then examines her body and describes it to the reader, didn’t feel overly necessary. Lastly, Alice seems really eager to join Billy on his endeavours, despite knowing him very little.

“He thinks briefly of deleting everything he’s written, it’s awful, but saves it instead. He doesn’t know what anyone else might think, but Billy thinks it’s good. And good that it’s awful, because awful is sometimes the truth.”

Recommended for readers of thriller and crime. Billy Summers is a little different to the horror and fantasy reads that fans of Stephen King will be accustomed to, but I do think his fanbase will enjoy this latest offering. Readership skews male, 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Billy Summers
Stephen King
August 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

Such A Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

There was no warning that she would come back.

Welcome to Hollow’s Edge – a picture-perfect neighbourhood where everyone has each other’s backs. At least, that’s how it used to be, until the night Brandon and Fiona Truett were found dead…

Two years ago, branded a grifter, thief and sociopath by her friends and neighbours, Ruby Fletcher was convicted of murdering the Truetts. Now, freed by mistrial, Ruby has returned to Hollow’s Edge. But why would she come back? No one wants her there, least of all her old housemate, Harper Nash.

As Ruby’s return sends shockwaves through the community, terrified residents turn on each other, and it soon becomes clear that not everyone was honest about the night the Truetts died. When Harper begins to receive threatening, anonymous notes, she realizes she has to uncover the truth before someone else gets hurt… Someone like her.

Megan Miranda’s Such A Quiet Place is a suspense novel centred around a mysterious double murder in an idyllic and close-knit neighbourhood, and the young woman they all believe to have committed the crime.

When accused murderer, Ruby Fletcher, is released without charge and returns home to Hollow’s Edge after two years, everyone in town appears unsettled. What happens when another murder is committed, and it’s clear that not everyone has been truthful about their past?

“During the investigation, we had established an official neighbourhood watch. A self-imposed curfew. The remnants of our fear carried over long after. We locked our doors and the patio gates, we pulled the curtains tight, we slept with a can of Mace beside our beds – and more.”

Written in first person from the perspective of Ruby’s former roommate and friend Harper, Ruby’s characterisation and voice is probably one of the strengths of this novel. She’s somewhat blank in her delivery and evokes this all-knowing personality – like she’s spent the last two years working out what to do when she got home to Hollow’s Edge. She’s calculated but controlled, her impulsivity mostly erased. She’s not actually a great person, and certainly not someone you’d want to be friends with, but as a character she is interesting to read about.

Harper’s paranoia grows over the course of the novel, as events start to cloud her judgement and make her doubt what she remembers and what she believes. The neighbourhood and its inhabitants provide this closed-in, suffocating setting. Everyone still believes Ruby to be a murderer, and they see nothing wrong with twisting memories or events to suit their perspective.

“There was no sign of Ruby when I woke. When I stepped out of my bedroom, groggy and light-headed, the house was eerily quiet…Last night, after the news program with her lawyer, Ruby had taken a phone call and disappeared upstairs, never to re-emerge.”

There is a strong sense of voyeurism in the novel, and it forms the backbone of the story. Who are we behind closed doors, compared with how the public view us? Would we kill to keep our secrets? There are enough characters in the novel that the truth is hard to guess and the ending didn’t feel predictable. Whilst some reviews of this book haven’t been favourable, I devoured this in one day and loved it.

Admittedly, the pacing lacks a bit in the first half of the novel. Harper is quite timid to start, and understandingly quite wary of Ruby’s sudden arrival. It isn’t until halfway through the novel, at a neighbourhood barbecue, where a new twist means the pace and tension pick up and we’re addicted until the final page.

“We knew who didn’t make it in to work (and whether they lied about the cause); we noticed whose cars didn’t make it home at night; we saw whose recycling bins were overflowing at the edge of the driveways (though we were rarely surprised); we listened to the arguments carrying from open windows and backyards, feeling more like confidants than voyeurs.”

Fast-paced and gripping, Such A Quiet Place is recommended for readers of crime, thriller and mystery. An enticing suspense novel for even the most reluctant of readers.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such A Quiet Place
Megan Miranda
August 2021
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta

Whitman ‘Win’ Tagore and Leo Milanowski are the greatest love story of our time. International movie star meets the beautiful son of a millionaire. Their kisses write headlines and their fights break the internet. Nobody needs to know it’s not real.

Win knows that Hollywood demands perfection – especially from a woman of colour. Leo just wants to enjoy life, and shift press attention away from his dysfunctional family.

Together they control the narrative. Except this time, on the shores of Saint-Tropez, Leo is hiding a secret that is about to send Win’s world spinning. Now everyone’s dream couple must confront the messy reality of their relationship. Just as they’re starting to realise that they might actually be falling in love…

Co-authored by married couple Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta, The View Was Exhausting is a contemporary love story set within the high-pressure, fast-paced world of Hollywood royalty, diving into the complex political competition of celebrity culture and efforts undertaken to stay relevant in such a fast-paced society.

This book surpassed all of my expectations. The writing is sleek and stripped, the characters alive and multi-dimensional. I felt like I was glimpsing into the glamorous lives of the rich and famous, desperate to turn the page. Don’t let the blurb mistake you — this is about so much more than a relationship. It’s about identity, perception and image, and what we project to the world versus what we’re like behind closed doors with our closest family and friends. Above all else, the prose is beautiful.

“Win leaned back and exhaled. It had been a successful week of parading Leo up and down the coast. The public was back on her side. Her image had been revitalised. The first thing that came up when you googled her was a barrage of excited rumours about The Sun Also Rises.”

Flashbacks are embedded within chapters so we come to understand how their seven-year partnership began, and how it’s evolved and developed over time. Leo doesn’t really need Win, but Win frequently needs Leo.

As a British Indian woman, Win has to grapple with her identity as a woman of colour as well as a woman on the cusp of global stardom. She has to work harder than others to maintain her facade, because it’s been so easy for others to tear her down.

The View Was Exhausting feels like escapist fiction, because the settings in the novel seem like a character itself. Win and Leo fly between glamorous locations and parties, carefully working to construct a narrative around their relationship that will keep them in the news for the right reasons. Publicist Marie is a fun character, and one of my favourite. Without her, Win wouldn’t know how to build her reputation back up each time it shatters. Marie is no-nonsense and brutal, doing what she can to protect the reputation of her clients.

“It made him feel like a sulky child, unimportant and neglected, like he was part of his dad’s entourage again. He would have complained, except he was absolutely certain that Win knew and was doing it deliberately.”

I do wish there was more chemistry between Win and Leo. I’m not sure I really bought their love for each other — fake or real. Their connection was so fraught and tense for so much of the book, we don’t really witness enough tender or happy moments from them to see what a real relationship between them could resemble.

In fact, the most compelling scenes between them were when they were arguing, because their true feelings about the other and their flaws were revealed — it was quite an interesting character study to read their dialogue during moments of conflict.

“But it was becoming clear that her work wasn’t enough. And if she didn’t want to squander her gift, if she wanted to stay true to her ambition and her father’s belief in her, she would have to make sure that she got the opportunities she needed.”

Sharp, atmospheric and affecting, The View Was Exhausting is recommended for literary readers, and fans of domestic and romantic tales. If you love Taylor Jenkins Reid, you’ll love this. Readership skews female, 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The View Was Exhausting
Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta
July 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong.

In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward.

For Simon, that means deciding whether he still wants to be part of the World of Mages — and if he doesn’t, what does that mean for his relationship with Baz? Meanwhile Baz is bouncing between two family crises and not finding any time to talk to anyone about his newfound vampire knowledge. Penelope would love to help, but she’s smuggled a cursed American Normal into London, and now she isn’t sure what to do with him. And Agatha? Well, Agatha Wellbelove has had enough.

Any Way the Wind Blows takes the gang back to England, back to Watford, and back to their families for their longest and most emotionally wrenching adventure yet. This book is a finale. It tells secrets and answers questions and lays ghosts to rest.

The third and final book in this young adult trilogy, Rainbow Rowell’s Any Way the Wind Blows brings Simon and Baz’s story to a close. It provides closure for Simon’s origin story, as well as the other characters we’ve met along the way.

Strengths include humour and wit, and the existence of magic in the story and how it develops over the course of the novel. Interpersonal relationships and emotional intelligence is also another strength, as characters start to cross paths again and are forced to confront deep-rooted insecurities.

“I thought maybe Snow didn’t want to share a bed with me because he was afraid I’d bite him in my sleep. But apparently that’s fine! Bloodletting is fine – intimacy is the real taboo!”

This final book in the series will please fans of the series who have been holding out for some Simon and Baz romance. But to be perfectly honest, this book has a pretty non-existent plot. It feels like it’s been written purely to serve the fans, and it wasn’t necessarily written because it needed to be. Hardly anything happens, and the novel is mainly driven by dialogue. The mystery comes in quite late in the novel and is solved rather fast. The ‘villain’ in the book doesn’t hold enough presence in the novel, and is not intimidating enough for his role.

The best part of the book is the moments of humour peppered throughout the chapter, but they’re few and far in between. And the novel moves between so many different characters, it gives a bit of whiplash. I feel like those who have read the first two books will be interested in seeing how it ends, and the writing is certainly accessible enough to make reading this quite easy, but overall, this is quite a disappointing conclusion. The plot was so limited it actually felt like book 2 in a trilogy.

“It wasn’t quite like that. I didn’t chicken out. It was more like I got overwhelmed. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Baz had said and how I needed to talk to him. Immediately, it felt like some window was closing. It was probably already closed, and I’d need to break it open.”

There were certain elements of the characterisation that didn’t quite ring true. Baz and Simon are really horny for each other in this, which is fine, but a lot of the book is about Simon trying to mature and have a real relationship and the introspection feels fleeting and overlooked at times. Any moments of tension or clashing pass over so quickly, you wonder why they had to happen in the first place.

Also, if my memory serves me correctly, Simon was quite anxious and shy about his feelings for Baz in previous books. And in this book, he’s gone from 0-100?

“The good thing about my aunt’s terrible flat is that I can do some light hunting without even leaving the building. I just have to dispose of the empty rodents when I’m done.”

For readers who are up to date with the trilogy, it’s nice to see how the story ends. But this is not the explosive finale that I anticipated. Readership skews female, 14+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow #3)
Rainbow Rowell
July 2021
Pan Macmillan Book Publishers